Merry and Bright - A 2023 Christmas Card

 

Merry Christmas, one and all! Here's hoping the rest of the year is Merry and Bright!

This was drawn with an FP5P Brush Pen and colored in Adobe Photoshop.

Movie Reviews: Max Fleischer's Superman 1941-1943 Blu-ray

I've been a huge fan of Max Fleischer's Superman cartoons since I received a VHS tape for Christmas filled with 10 different shorts taken from less-than-pristine copies. I find myself rebuying them whenever a great new format comes out.

When I first heard about Warner Bros. creating new scans from the original film stalk, I was so excited. I couldn't wait to see them remastered in all their glory, and I wasn't disappointed.

The Good

Picture. All of the shorts are here. They couldn't look better. The picture is so clean, crisp, and bright. The colors are amazing. Several people have complained about the DNR (digital noise reduction). Some of the raw footage appears in the new documentary that is included. I personally found the grain annoying and am glad they removed it. The grain was never meant to be part of the picture and is a result of technology and process.

Audio. These have never sounded better. Even in the best copy I've ever heard had weird audio glitches that made it hard to make out some of the dialogue. All of those problems have been fixed.

Content. This is some of the best animation to have ever been produced. It's so sad the Fleischer Studio didn't last past the first half of these shorts. One can only imagine what they would have created in the next decade with the talent, creativity, and innovation the studio was famous for.

The Bad

Missing Audio. Two of the shorts each have a couple of seconds of audio missing. It doesn't ruin the shorts, but it is sad these are 100% complete where such care was taken to present such an amazing picture and sound.

Warnings. A few of the shorts have unnecessary warnings which is obnoxious.

The Meh

Documentaries. There are three documentaries included, but none of them are very good. It's professionals in the field and want-to-be experts talking about their impressions. No one involved in the production of these was interviewed. None of the restoration process was shown. That's what would be interesting.

Overall

Overall, this is a beautiful Blu-ray edition. I never imagined these cartoons could look so amazing. I'll be watching these over and over again.

Wandering Koala Abduction

I haven't posted anything in a while, because I've been working on the new Wandering Koala series. I have the first two issues written and over a dozen issues plotted. I have about half the characters designed. Above you can see a concept drawing of the current style I'm thinking of inking the characters. I'm still undecided about what to do with the backgrounds.

The illustration above was drawn with a Offizeus Graphite 2.0 mechanical pencil, inked with a Sumi Brush Pen, and colored in Adobe Photoshop.

Enjoy!

 

Merry Christmas, and Happy Boxing Day!

 

Wandering Koala 3: Boiling point preview

Reservations at Jacque’s Bistro must be made six months in advance. Only the cream of the crop—both food and guests—is served here. That’s why Dr. Jacqueline Heide came tonight. But when the chef refuses to give her a recipe, she unleashes an inferno of rage. Fortunately for the other guests, the Wandering Koala is also dining here tonight.

Wandering Koala issue 3 is an all ages, weird horror, pulp adventure comic book. Fans of Samurai Jack, The Twilight Zone, Will Eisner’s The Spirit, The Real Ghostbusters, Paul Pope, Golgo13, Dylan Dog, House of Mystery, classic Felix the Cat, Osamu Tezuka's Black Jack, Hellboy, and classic comics should love it!

 

https://www.amazon.com//dp/B0BJB2BBVR

Wandering Koala 2: Dreams NOW ON SALE!

 

He breaks the laws of nature for your enjoyment! At least, that’s the tagline of Julien's channel. Any sci fi or fantasy concept that seems impossible is fair game for him to tackle.

And judging by the number of subscribers, he’ll go down in the history books next to Di Vinci, Edison, and Ford.

But fame is a coin with flip side: an admirer turned stalker wants to get inside Julien’s head in the most invasive way possible and learn everything about him whether he likes it or not.

 

Wandering Koala 2: Dreams is an all ages, weird horror pulp adventure comic book. Fans of Samurai Jack, The Twilight Zone, Will Eisner’s The Spirit, The Real Ghostbusters, Paul Pope, Golgo13, Osamu Tezuka's Black Jack, Dylan Dog, classic Felix the Cat, Aeon Flux, Hellboy, or classic comics should love it!

 

Read the Comic Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BF2HDLC9

Wandering Koala 2: Dreams black & white preview

He breaks the laws of nature for your enjoyment! At least, that’s the tagline of Julien's channel. Any sci fi or fantasy concept that seems impossible is fair game for him to tackle.

And judging by the number of subscribers, he’ll go down in the history books next to Di Vinci, Edison, and Ford.

But fame is a coin with flip side: an admirer turned stalker wants to get inside Julien’s head in the most invasive way possible and learn everything about him whether he likes it or not.

 

Wandering Koala 2: Dreams is an all ages, weird horror pulp adventure comic book. Fans of Samurai Jack, The Twilight Zone, Will Eisner’s The Spirit, The Real Ghostbusters, Paul Pope, Golgo13, Osamu Tezuka's Black Jack, Dylan Dog, classic Felix the Cat, Aeon Flux, Hellboy, or classic comics should love it!

 

Read the Comic Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BF2HDLC9

Wandering Koala 2: Dreams preview

 

He breaks the laws of nature for your enjoyment! At least, that’s the tagline of Julien's channel. Any sci fi or fantasy concept that seems impossible is fair game for him to tackle.

And judging by the number of subscribers, he’ll go down in the history books next to Di Vinci, Edison, and Ford.

But fame is a coin with flip side: an admirer turned stalker wants to get inside Julien’s head in the most invasive way possible and learn everything about him whether he likes it or not.

 

Wandering Koala 2: Dreams is an all ages, weird horror pulp adventure comic book. Fans of Samurai Jack, The Twilight Zone, Will Eisner’s The Spirit, The Real Ghostbusters, Paul Pope, Golgo13, Osamu Tezuka's Black Jack, Dylan Dog, classic Felix the Cat, Aeon Flux, Hellboy, or classic comics should love it!

 

Read the Comic Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BF2HDLC9

Wandering Koala 1:Insomnia black & white preview

Wandering Koala #1: Insomnia NOW on Sale!

No one can sleep at Alexia’s bed ‘n breakfast (which isn’t good for business). But what can she do? Located in the country far from neighbors, it sports the most comfortable beds her budget could buy. Then a knock just before midnight brings a stranger with a rather unorthodox solution.

Will the guests finally enjoy a good night’s rest, or merely trade one problem for another?

Wandering Koala issue 1 is an all-ages, weird mystery pulp adventure comic book. Fans of Will Eisner’s The Spirit, The Real Ghostbusters, Paul Pope, Golgo13, Dylan Dog, Hellboy, classic Felix the Cat, Osamu Tezuka's Black Jack, Aeon Flux, and classic comics should love it!

Preview and Buy >>

Wandering Koala 1: Insomnia preview

Wandering Koala #1: Insomnia NOW on Sale!

No one can sleep at Alexia’s bed ‘n breakfast (which isn’t good for business). But what can she do? Located in the country far from neighbors, it sports the most comfortable beds her budget could buy. Then a knock just before midnight brings a stranger with a rather unorthodox solution.

Will the guests finally enjoy a good night’s rest, or merely trade one problem for another?

Wandering Koala issue 1 is an all-ages, weird mystery pulp adventure comic book. Fans of Will Eisner’s The Spirit, The Real Ghostbusters, Paul Pope, Golgo13, Dylan Dog, Hellboy, classic Felix the Cat, Osamu Tezuka's Black Jack, Aeon Flux, and classic comics should love it!

Preview and Buy >>